Trick device



May 7, i940,

TRI CK DEVICE Filed Feb. 3, 1940 isa'iilii" Kcnnefh (SF/80k? I INVENTORHis ATTORNEY K. s. FRANKE I :2 199 ,8l8

object because of the ceal it in his hand or of Wood or the likePatented May 7, 1940 UNITED STATES TRICK DEVICE Kenneth S. Franke, NewYork,'N. Y. Application Feoruary' 3, 1940, Serial No. 317,045

6 Claims.

This invention relates to tricl: devices such as whicha'coin-like'object can be made to vanish mysteriously.

- The primary object of the invention is to procan be used for the ademonstration and by means of which the coin-like-object can apparentlybe made to disappear while the device is being manipulated in closeproximity to the viewer the performance is easily concealed.

In accordance with the invention, an object which may resemble a coinand preferably having the appearance of being formed of a nonmagneticmaterial such as copper or brass, is

placed on a table or able receptacle and outward appearance othersupport or in a suita block member having the of a solid homogeneousmass is placed over and in close proximity to the object. When the blockis removed the coin-like object has mysteriously disappeared. The secretresides in the concealment of a small magnet in the block near onesurface material which may be concealed in or under the coin-likeobject. The magnet attracts the magnetic material therein and causes itto adhere to the surface of the block. After removing the block theperformer can easily slip the object therefrom and conpocket, unobservedby those viewing the performance.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to theaccompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the block showing the magnet concealedtherein;

Figure 3 is an elevation of one edge of the block;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section taken on line 44 of Figure 2; whileFigure 5 is a front perspective view showing the block after it has beenremoved from the receptacle with the coin-like object adhering to thelower side of the block.

Referring to the drawing, a receptacle l0 having an opening orindentation l2 in one sidethereof is adapted to hold an object H whichperspective view illustrating one may be a plain disc or token or whichmay resemble a coin in outward appearance. The receptacle member Ill isformed of any non-magnetic material such a suitable plastic. I sired, belined with felt or any other such material for the purpose of improvingthe appearance. An upper or block member I6 is also formed ofnon-magnetic material similar to that as wood, pressed paper or of themember HIv and may, as shown, beof the same general shape as the loweror receptacle member. The block I6 is provided with upper and lower'substantially parallel surfacw I 8 and respectively, and a hole 22 isformed in the block extending from one edge to a point beyond the centerof the block. As will be observed with reference to Figures 3 and 4, the

hole 22 is formed nearer to the surface 20 than to the surface l8 forpurposes which will be described hereinafter. A magnet 24 is disposed inthe hole 22 at substantially the center of the block, and the remainderof the hole 22 is preferably filled with a plug 26 of non-magneticmaterial similar to the material from which the block I6 is formed. Theouter end of the hole 22 and plug 26 may be covered with a suitablelabel 28 in order to conceal the fact that a hole. has been drilled inthe block and that the block coniprises anything but a If desired, theobject I may be formed entirely of magnetic material such as iron and,in fact, this object may comprise merely a small iron disc such as awasher. However, it is preferred that the object l4 present the outwardappearance of being formed of a non-magnetic material such' as copper orbrass in which case the lower side of the object may have a small amountof iron embodied therein or secured thereto as v in the form of a seconddisc. In this case, it is merely desirable that a person on viewing theobject l4, either within the opening I2 of the receptacle ID or whenplaced on a table or other support, receive the impression that theobject is formed of a material which could not be attracted by a magnet.

In operation, the object I4 is placed in the opening l2 of thereceptacle l0 and the block member I6 is then placed upon the receptacleI0 with the surface 20 of the block resting against the receptacle. Theobject II will be attracted by the magnet 24 and will adhere to thesurface 20 of the block l6 so lifted and removed, as is shown in Figure5, the object l2 will also be removed therewith from the receptacle.

The opening l2 may.'i1' de-- solid homogeneous mass.

that when the block is After the performer removes l6 the block I! hecan easily slip thecoin-like obiect ll from the under surface of theblock and can conceal it in his hand or pocket after which the block, aswell as the receptacle. may be passed around for examination by theviewers. The effect, therefore, is that in some mysterious manner thecoin-like object ll has disappeared while being covered by the block il.

When the block it is placed on the receptacle ill with the surface Itdownward or adjacent the receptacle, the magnet 24 will not besufllciently powerful to attract the object N so as to cause it thatthesurface 20 is disappear, he again produces block is now adjacent toadhere to the surface l8, since the magnet is so disposed in the blockthat there is a greater thickness of the non-magnetic material f theblock between the magnet and the surface I. than between the magnet andthe surface 2|. By means of this feature additional effects can beproduced. For instance, after the performer has caused the coin-likeobiect ll seemingly to it or a similar obiect and places it once more inthe opening l2 of the receptacle or on a suitable support. The performerthen holding the block ll in his hand. turns it over while unobserved bythe audience and then places the block ll so that the side it will beover and adjacent the object ll. He then either hands the entire deviceto one of the onlookers or, in the case where the object II is placedupon a table without the use of the receptacle, he merely requests theonlooker to make the object disappear. Since the surface it of the theobject, the object will not adhere to the block and the onlooker will beunable to make the object disappear. The performer will then again takethe block l6 and while unobserved by the onlookers reverses it so againdownward. He then places the block over the object whereupon the latterwill adhere to the block and seemingly disappear to theparticularamazement of the onlooker who has Just previo' ly endeavored to do thesame trick without result.

As has been indicated in the foregoing. de scription, although it ispreferred that the receptacle member In be used, it is understood thatthis member is not necessary, since the object ll can be laid upon andcaused to disappear from any suitable surface such as the top of atable. Again, the block it may be formed in various other shapes and, asstated hereinbefore, may be made of any suitable non-magnetic materialsuch as wood, cardboard, a plastic or the like.

Obviously many other modifications and variations of the invention ashereinbefore set forth may be made without departing from the spirit andscope thereof, and therefore only such limitations should be imposed asare indicated by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A trick device comprising a block member having the outwardappearance of a substantially unitary mass and having upper and lowersurfaces, a coin-like object formed at least partially of magneticmaterial and means for causing said object to adhere to the undersurface of said member comprising a magnet concealed in said blockmember in closer proximity to the under surface than to the uppersurface.

2. A trick device comprising the object close proximity to a block-likecover arcane member, a coin-like object being formed on its normallyupper side of a non-magnetic material and on its lower side of magneticmaterial, and a magnet concealed within said member, whereby, when saidmember'is placed over and in close proximity to the non-magnetic side ofsaid-object, will adhere to the lower side of said member so that theobject will be removed from its original position when the cover memberis removed, thus providing the illusion that the object has disappeared.

3. A device for presenting-the illusion of causing a coin-like object to'disappear comprising a member having the outward I appearance of asolid homogeneous mass, and a magnet concealed in said member closer toone side of said member than to the other side, said object being formedat least partially of magnetic material and said magnet being adapted to.attract and cause said object to adhere to said member when the side ofsaid member nearer the 'magnet is placed in close proximity to saidobject; so that when said member is subsequently removed, the objectwill be removed therewith, while when the side of said member away fromsaid magnet is placed in said object there will be insuiiicient magneticattraction to cause the. object to adhere to the member. I v

, 4. A trick device comprising a block-like member having the outwardappearance of a unitary mass, and provided with substantially parallelupper and lower sides, a magnet embedded and concealed in said memberbut closer to one of said sides than to the other, and a coin-likeobiect formed at least partially of magnetic material and adapted to becovered by saidmember whereby when said member is'placed with one ofsaid sides over and in close proximity to said object the object willcloser to said object. a

5. A trick device comprising a member having the outward appearance of aunitary, homogeneous mass, a magnet concealed within said member, and anobject adapted to be attracted to and to adhere to one surface of saidmember comprising a 1 relatively thin, wafer-like element formedatvleast partly of magnetic material, the arrangement being such thatwhen said member is placed in close proximity to and over said object,the object will adhere to the lower side of the member whereupon, when'the member is lifted and removed the illusion will be presented thatthe object has disappeared from its original resting place while coveredby said member.

6. A device for presenting an illusion comprising a lower member havingan indentation in one side adapted to hold a coin-like object or tokenat least a portion of which is formed of magnetic material, an uppermember having the appearance of a solid block, and a magnet concealedwithin said uppermember, said upper member being adapted to restuponsaid lower member over said indentation containing said token and themagnet being adapted, when the upper member is lifted, to lift andremove said token from the lower member to give the effect that thetokendisappeared while the lower member was covered by the upper member:

S. FRANKE.

